Del Pilar was born and brought up in Bulacán, Bulacan. He first studied Latin under Sr. Hermenigildo Flores in Bulacan before moving to Manila. After obtaining his Bachiller en Artes, del Pilar pursued law. Del Pilar was imprisoned in 1869 after a disagreement with the parish priest of San Miguel, Manila over exorbitant baptismal fees. Two years later, del Pilar's oldest brother was deported to the Marianas due to his involvement in the Cavite Mutiny. Del Pilar later worked as a government clerk in Pampanga and Quiapo. In 1878, he resumed his law studies and married Marciana del Pilar (Chanay). Del Pilar obtained his law degree in 1880 and afterwards worked for the Real Audiencia de Manila (Royal Audience of Manila).

In 1882, del Pilar co-founded and edited the bilingual newspaper Diariong Tagalog (Tagalog Newspaper). Del Pilar actively campaigned against the abuses of the Spanish friars in the Philippines. In 1888, he was suspected of being the author of the pamphlet entitled "Viva España! Viva el Rey! Viva el Ejército! Fuera los Frailes!" (Long live Spain! Long live the King! Long live the Army! Throw the friars out!). Del Pilar left Manila for Spain on October 28, 1888 after an order of banishment was issued against him by the Spanish colonial government. He arrived in Barcelona in 1889 and replaced López Jaena as editor of the La Solidaridad (Solidarity), the newspaper of the Reform Movement.[3]La Solidaridad ceased publication in 1895 due to lack of funds. Del Pilar planned to lead a revolution against Spain, but failed. He contracted tuberculosis in Barcelona and died in abject poverty on July 4, 1896. Del Pilar was buried in the Cementerio del Sub-Oeste (Southwest Cemetery) until 1920, when his remains were moved to Manila.[4] His final resting place is the Marcelo H. del Pilar National Shrine in Bulacán, Bulacan.

On November 15, 1995, the Technical Committee of the National Heroes Committee, created through Executive Order No. 5 by former President Fidel Ramos, recommended del Pilar along with the eight Filipino historical figures to be National Heroes.[5] The recommendations were submitted to Department of Education Secretary Ricardo T. Gloria on November 22, 1995. No action has been taken for these recommended historical figures.[5] In 2009, this issue was revisited in one of the proceedings of the 14th Congress.[6]

A replica of Marcelo H. del Pilar's ancestral house and birthplace in Bulacán, Bulacan. This is now a museum-library housing del Pilar memorabilia.[7]

Marcelo Hilario del Pilar y Gatmaitán was born on August 30, 1850 in Cupang (now Barangay San Nicolás), Bulacán, Bulacan.[8] He was baptized "Marcelo Hilario" on September 4, 1850.[9] The surname of his grandmother, "del Pilar", was added to comply with the decree issued by Governor-GeneralNarciso Clavería in 1849.[10]

Del Pilar’s parents owned several farms, some fish ponds, and an animal-power mill.[11] His father, Julián Hilario del Pilar, was a Tagalog grammarian, poet, and speaker.[12] He was a "three time" gobernadorcillo (municipal mayor) of his pueblo (town). Julián later held the position of oficial de mesa (government clerk) of the alcalde mayor (provincial governor).[13] Blasa Gatmaitán, del Pilar’s mother, was a descendant of the noble Gatmaitáns. She was known as "Doña Blasica".[9]

The ninth of ten children, del Pilar's siblings were: Toribio (priest, deported to the Mariana Islands in 1872),[14] Fernando (father of General Gregorio del Pilar),[15] Andrea, Dorotea, Estanislao, Juan, Hilaria (married to Deodato Arellano),[16] Valentín, and María. The share of the inheritance of each child was very small and del Pilar renounced his in favor of his siblings.[1]

In 1869, del Pilar acted as a padrino or godfather at a baptism in San Miguel, Manila.[14] Since he was not a resident of the area, he questioned the excessive baptismal fee charged by the parish priest. The priest was outraged by this statement. As a result the judge, Félix García Gavieres, sent del Pilar to Old Bilibid Prison (then known as Carcel y Presidio Correccional). He was released after thirty days.[20]

During the time of the Cavite Mutiny in 1872, del Pilar was living with a Filipino priest named Mariano Sevilla.[14] Sevilla was deported to the Mariana Islands along with del Pilar's eldest brother, Fr. Toribio Hilario del Pilar, due to allegations of being one of the organizers of the uprising.[21] The deportation of Fr. Toribio resulted into the early death of del Pilar's mother.

Out of the university, del Pilar worked as oficial de mesa in Pampanga (1874-1875) and Quiapo (1878-1879).[22] In the month of February 1878, he married his second cousin Marciana (the "Chanay/Tsanay" in his letters) in Tondo.[23] The couple had seven children, six girls and one boy: Sofía, José, María Rosario, María Consolación, María Concepción, José, and Ana (Anita). Only two girls, Sofía and Anita, grew to adulthood (five children died before becoming adults).[24]

In 1878, del Pilar resumed his law studies at the UST.[23] He earned his licenciado en jurisprudencia (equivalent to a Bachelor of Laws) in 1880.[25] After finishing law, he worked for the Real Audiencia de Manila (Royal Audience of Manila). Although practicing law in Manila, del Pilar spent more time in Bulacan, spreading nationalist and anti-friar ideas in cockpits, tiendas, and town plazas.[26]

Del Pilar, together with Basilio Teodoro Moran, founded the short-lived Diariong Tagalog (Tagalog Newspaper) in 1882.[14]Diariong Tagalog was the first bilingual newspaper in the Philippines and was financed by the wealthy Spanish liberal Francisco Calvo y Muñoz. Del Pilar became the editor of the Tagalog section.[27]José Rizal's essay El Amor Patrio was featured in the newspaper. Del Pilar translated it into Tagalog language, Ang Pagibig sa Tinubúang Lupà (Love of Country).[28]

The pre-1863 lithograph photo of Malolos Cathedral before the earthquake that torned down its clock tower in 1863. This was one of the sites of del Pilar's anti-friar activities.

Malolos became the center of del Pilar's anti-friar movement. The first success of the campaign was in 1885, when the liberal Manuel Crisóstomo was elected gobernadorcillo by the citizens of Malolos. Shortly after this victorious event, del Pilar, together with the cabezas de barangay (chiefs of the barangays) of Malolos, argued with the town's friar curate on the list of taxpayers. The friar curate wanted to bloat the list, a move meant for the parish's financial gain.[29]

In 1887, during the upcoming fiesta of Our Lady of Rosary in Binondo, the notorious incident occurred between the natives, Chinese, and Chinese mestizos. The gobernadorcillo de naturales (gobernadorcillo of the natives) of Binondo, Timoteo Lanuza, requested Fr. José Hevia Campomanes, the friar curate of Binondo Church, to prioritize the natives over the Chinese in the fiesta.[30] Fr. Hevia rejected Lanuza's request and decided not to attend the celebration. Majority of the gobernadorcillos of Manila attended the celebration. Fr. Hevia was later removed as friar curate of Binondo by the governor-general. The whole incident had been prepared by Juan Zulueta, whose mentor was del Pilar.[31]

On October 18, 1887, Benigno Quiroga y López Ballesteros, the Director General of Civil Administration in Manila, issued an executive order prohibiting the exposition of corpses in the churches.[32] Crisóstomo, the gobernadorcillo of Malolos at that time, proclaimed Quiroga's decree by means of a parade led by a brass band. Friar Felipe García, the friar-curate of Malolos, aggravated the authorities by parading the body of the servant of Don Eugenio Delgado. Upon the advice of del Pilar, Crisóstomo addressed the problem to the Spanish governor of Bulacan, Manuel Gómez Florio. Gómez Florio reprimanded the fighting friar parish priest.[33]

On January 21, 1888, del Pilar worked for the establishment of a school of "Arts, Trades, and Agriculture" by drafting of a memorial to the gobernador civil (civil governor) of Bulacan.[34] This was signed by the gobernadorcillos, ex-gobernadorcillos, leading citizens, proprietors, industrialists, professors, and lawyers of the province.

Pedro Payo y Piñeiro, O.P. (1814 – 1889) was the 24th Archbishop of Manila who took charge in 1876 until his death in 1889.

On the morning of March 1, 1888, the principales of the districts of Manila and the nearby provinces (led by Doroteo Cortés and José A. Ramos) marched to the office of the civil governor of Manila, José Centeno García.[17] They presented a manifesto addressed to the Queen Regent. This manifesto, entitled "Viva España! Viva el Rey! Viva el Ejército! Fuera los Frailes!" (Long live Spain! Long live the King! Long live the Army! Throw the friars out!), was believed to be written by del Pilar.[29] The manifesto enumerated the abuses/crimes of the friars and demanded their expulsion from the Philippines including Manila Archbishop Pedro P. Payo himself. A week after the demonstration, Centeno resigned and left for Spain. Governor-general Emilio Terrero's term also ended the following month. Terrero was succeeded by acting governor-general Antonio Molto.[35]

Fr. José Rodríguez, an Augustinian priest, authored a pamphlet entitled ¡Caiñgat Cayo!: Sa mañga masasamang libro,t, casulatan (Beware!: of bad books and writings, 1888). The friar warned the Filipinos that in reading Rizal's Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not) they commit "mortal sin". On August 3 of the same year, del Pilar wrote Caiigat Cayó (Be as Slippery as an Eel) under the pen name Dolores Manapat. It was a reply to Fr. Rodríguez's ¡Caiñgat Cayó!.[36]

Investigations under Molto were intensified upon the arrival of the new governor-general, Valeriano Weyler. Gómez Florio, the Spanish governor of Bulacan and del Pilar's friend, was removed from his position. An arrest warrant was issued against del Pilar, accusing him of being a filibustero or subversive. Upon the advice of his friends and relatives, del Pilar left Manila for Spain on October 28, 1888.[37]

The night before he left the country, del Pilar stayed at the house of his fellow Bulaqueño, Pedro Serrano y Lactao. Together with Rafael Enriquez, they wrote the Dasalan at Tocsohan (Prayers and Mockeries), a mock-prayer book satirizing the Spanish friars.[38] They also wrote the Pasióng Dapat Ipag-alab nang Puso nang Tauong Babasa (Passion That Should Inflame the Heart of the Reader).[39]

A copy of La Solidaridad, the principal organ of the Reform Movement in Spain.

Del Pilar was also able to organize the Caja de Jesús, María y José, the purpose of which was to carry on propaganda and provide scholarships to indigent children.[40] He headed it with the assistance of Mariano Ponce, Gregorio Santillán, Mariano Crisóstomo, Lactao, and José Gatmaitán. Caja de Jesús, María y José was later dissolved and replaced by Comité de Propaganda (Committee of Propaganda) in Manila.

Del Pilar arrived in Barcelona on January 1, 1889.[41] He headed the political section of the Asociación Hispano-Filipina de Madrid (Hispanic Filipino Association of Madrid).[42] On February 17, 1889, del Pilar wrote a letter to Rizal, praising the young women of Malolos for their bravery. These 20 young women asked the permission of Governor-General Weyler to allow them to open a night school where they could learn to read and write Spanish. With Weyler's approval and over the objections of Friar Felipe García, the night school opened in the early 1889. Del Pilar considered this incident as a victory to the anti-friar movement. Upon his request, Rizal wrote his famous letter to the women of Malolos, Sa Mga Kababayang Dalaga Sa Malolos (To the Young Women of Malolos), on February 22, 1889.[40]

In 1890, a rivalry developed between del Pilar and Rizal. This was mainly due to the difference between del Pilar's editorial policy and Rizal's political beliefs.[45]

On January 1, 1891, about 90 Filipinos gathered in Madrid. They agreed that a Responsable (leader) be elected.[46] Camps were drawn into two, the Pilaristas and the Rizalistas. The first voting for the Responsable started on the first week of February 1891. Rizal won the first two elections but the votes counted for him did not reach the needed two thirds vote fraction. After Mariano Ponce appealed to the Pilaristas, Rizal was elected Responsable. Rizal, knowing the Pilaristas did not like his political beliefs, respectfully declined the position and transferred it to del Pilar. He then packed up his bags and boarded a train leaving for Biarritz.[47] Inactive in the Reform Movement, Rizal ceased his contribution of articles on La Solidaridad.

Del Pilar then wrote to Rizal seeking apology for any mistakes he had committed. Rizal responded and said that he stopped writing for La Solidaridad because of many reasons: first, he needed time to work on his second novel El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed);[48] second, he wanted other Filipinos in Spain to work also; and lastly, he could not lead an organization without solidarity in work.

From 1890 to 1895, del Pilar published La Solidaridad almost on his own as funding was scarce in the Philippines. Publication of the fortnightly stopped on November 15, 1895. Before his death, del Pilar rejected the theory of assimilation. Planning an armed struggle, del Pilar stated:

“

Insurrection is the last remedy, especially when the people have acquired the belief that peaceful means to secure the remedies for evils prove futile.[49]

Del Pilar's last years saw his descent into extreme poverty. He often missed his meals and during winter, he kept himself warm by smoking discarded cigarette butts he picked up in the streets. Suffering from tuberculosis, del Pilar decided to return to the Philippines. His illness worsened that he had to cancel his journey.[51] He was taken to the Hospital de la Santa Cruz (Hospital Civil) in Barcelona. Del Pilar died there on July 4, 1896, a few days before the Cry of Pugad Lawin (Cry of Balintawak).[52] He was buried the following day in a borrowed grave at the Cementerio del Sub-Oeste (Southwest Cemetery).

The National Shrine of Marcelo H. del Pilar in San Nicolás, Bulacán, Bulacan

Some historians and scholars uphold the hypothesis that del Pilar was the true mastermind of the Katipunan.[58][59] According to the historian Renato Constantino, the by laws of the Katipunan were submitted by Bonifacio to del Pilar for approval.[60] Bonifacio used the letters he received from del Pilar to recruit more Katipuneros. Kalayaan (Liberty), the official newspaper of the Katipunan, carried the pen name of del Pilar as editor-in-chief. Bonifacio also copied the letters of del Pilar to his brother-in-law, Deodato Arellano. According to León María Guerrero, del Pilar's letters were considered by Bonifacio as sacred relics of the Philippine Revolution and guides for action.[29]

For his 150 essays and 66 editorials mostly published in La Solidaridad and various anti-friar pamphlets, del Pilar is widely regarded as the "Father of Philippine Journalism."[61]

Samahang Plaridel, an organization of veteran journalists and communicators, was founded in October 2003 to honor del Pilar's ideals. It also promotes mutual help, cooperation, and understanding among Filipino journalists.[62]

Del Pilar was directly responsible for the establishment of the first national organization of Filipino Masons, the Gran Consejo Regional de Filipinas, in 1893. With this, he earned the recognition as the "Father of Philippine Masonry."